Essex Wildlife Trust, the county’s leading conservation charity, has unveiled a comprehensive suite of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) services. Designed to help developers, planners and landowners achieve their environmental goals while making a positive impact to wildlife.
Under the Environment Act 2021, all new developments in England must achieve at least a 10% Biodiversity Net Gain, ensuring nature is left in a better state than before. Partnering with Essex Wildlife Trust gives developers a trusted local expert with unrivalled knowledge of Essex’s landscapes, ensuring projects not only meet regulatory requirements but will leave a legacy for people, wildlife, and the landscape that defines Essex.
Powered by a team of expert ecologists and a network of verified habitat banks, the Trust offers an end-to-end service: from ecological surveys to the long-term management of high-quality habitats across Essex.
With over 8,400 acres of land for wildlife across 100+ sites, the Trust manages a diverse range of habitats from woodlands and wetlands to grasslands and coastal environments. This experience allows developers to secure the right mix of biodiversity units within one coordinated management plan, backed by decades of conservation expertise. All sites are managed in perpetuity, giving developers confidence that their commitments will deliver for nature now and the future.
Explore BNG opportunities in Essex
You can find out more or request a tailored BNG proposal by contacting the Trust’s specialist team. (www.essexwt.org.uk/form/bng-contact)
Naomi Andrew, Business Manager – Green Finance and Ecological Services for the Trust, says:
Abbotts Hall is our first habitat bank, based in Great Wigborough and registered with the Colchester Local Planning Authority, spanning two Natural Character Areas – Great Thames Estuary and Northern Thames Basin. We offer developers, their consultants and National Infrastructure Projects the gold standard of BNG; high integrity habitats, managed well and in perpetuity.
Income generated from BNG unit sales goes directly to Essex Wildlife Trust to invest in projects across the county, which will see a wilder Essex for nature and people. The project at Abbotts Hall is a 630 acre rewilding project on a former arable farm, which will be open to the public and will provide training, education, wellbeing and research in coastal studies and conservation.
Working in partnership with our ecology consultancy – Essex Ecology we offer a full BNG service, from site assessments, baseline surveys, reports, metrics, post intervention design, and management plans.
Rich Yates, Chief Executive for Essex Wildlife Trust, says:
“Essex Wildlife Trust is proud to launch our full Biodiversity Net Gain services, supporting developers and businesses to not only meet regulatory requirements but to make a real, lasting difference for wildlife across Essex BNG is an opportunity to create resilient, thriving habitats that benefit both people and nature. By partnering with our trusted local conservation charity, developers can ensure their projects leave a positive legacy, protecting Essex’s unique landscapes for generations to come.”
